Searching Strategically
I want to be as efficient as possible in my research.
When I begin searching for information on a topic I don't know a lot about, I usually go through a checklist of source types. They are arranged in order from the most trustworthy to the least trustworthy. As I go through and locate sources in each area, I will gradually develop expert knowledge of my topic and it will be easier for me to judge what is "good" information and what is "bad" information as I begin to locate things that need closer evaluation.
Six Steps of Research
- Background Information
- Books
- Articles
- Multimedia/Audio-Visuals
- Personal & Organizational Web Pages
- Experts, Scholars, and Professionals in the Field
What Each Step Has to Offer
Steps 1-5 generally go in order from most authoritative/easiest to check to least authoritative/most difficult to check. Step 6 is generally a check-up/fill-in-the-gap phase. If I start my research this way, I don't have to worry so much about depending upon bad information and then having to redo my search later to replace questionable information sources.
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Steps 1-5 generally go in order from most authoritative/easiest to check to least authoritative/most difficult to check. Step 6 is generally a check-up/fill-in-the-gap phase. If I start my research this way, I don't have to worry so much about depending upon bad information and then having to redo my search later to replace questionable information sources.
1.
Background Information
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
Basic information in a bare bones source: names, dates, history,
vocabulary, facts; I want to make sure I am not making incorrect assumptions
or using incorrect data
|
Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Almanacs
Directories
Handbooks
and more…
|
Reference Books (See Books.)
Web search tools (See Web Pages.)
|
2. Books
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
More in-depth information; easy to verify by looking for book
reviews plus libraries try hard not to buy “crappy” books; older information
|
Print books
eBooks
|
Catamount Catalog (PSC)
MountainLynx (WVU eBooks)
|
3. Articles
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
Tightly focused information; harder to verify so you have to
judge it by author, publication, and publisher; newer information
|
Journals (print/online)
Trade publications (print/online)
Magazines (print/online)
Newsletters (print/online)
Newspapers (print/online)
|
Web search tools
Publisher/Serials Web pages
|
4. Multimedia/Audio-Visuals
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
News and documentary programming; may be based on authoritative
sources, but not as easy to determine which facts came from which sources;
may be very current; may be incomplete
|
TV and radio news programs
TV and radio documentaries
TV and radio interviews/discussions
Film documentaries
Web media presentations
News releases
|
Lexis Nexis Academic (Transcripts)
Web search tools
News organization Web pages
Media distribution Web pages
|
5. Web Pages
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
Freely available Web pages; authority may be difficult to
determine; information is not always sourced and may be plagiarized; may be
very current; may be incomplete
|
List of Search Engines (Wikipedia) |
|
6. Experts, Scholars, and Professionals
|
Format
|
Search Tools
|
People who work, research, and publish in the field; can help
fill in gaps, discuss current trends and issues, and basically tell me what
it is like to work in the field
|
Faculty members
Local professionals
Authors of books, articles, and media that I found during my
research
|
Local Yellow Pages
WWW Directories
Personal/professional Web pages
|
Video Links
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